Can you separate the liners of the boat?

[Kaczki]

Is it at all possible to separate the top liner from the bottom liner on a 1971 19-1?  If I could I would like to try that because my floor is soft in a few spots but I'd hate to chop my boat up.
Thanks!

[GoneFission]

When you look at the old construction photos, it sure looks like this would be feasible.  Remove the rub rail, sand/grind the glass tape bonding the liner to the hull, and probably remove some screws (most manufacturers use screws and glass to hold the halves together).  You could then remove the liner, turn it over, and work on the bottom side...

[billh1963]

I've wondered about that myself. Has anyone on the board done that?

[JimCt]

The hull and the inner liner were screwed together with ss screws 6" on center.  The rub rail was screwed to the hull with 1 1/2" ss screws 6" on center staggered 3" from the other screws.  The transom wood core was glassed to the hull before assembly but I don't know if they applied resin to the transom wood core mating surface when the liner was dropped in.  If they did, then the liner would have to be cut at the transom corners in order to remove it.  If the liner was not bonded to the transom core then the liner should be able to be removed with no cutting.

Seems to me that floor & transom rebuild jobs would be made a lot easier & faster by removing the liner.

Maybe someone who has done the traditional method transom rebuild could fill us in if he found the liner bonded to the wood core when he cut the liner away.

[RickK]

I cut mine out but it's been 10 years and I don't remember if it was bonded thus making it hard to get out or not.  
It's bonded now, that's for sure.  That I remember.

[Kaczki]

Anybody else have any comments or opinions?

[billh1963]

I've been talking to Will Borden (www.fiberglass-repair.com) and he told me that the early Aquasports like yours and mine can be separated. I haven't done it yet but it is the right way to do it.

[Capt. Rick]

My 22-2 liner was put in with bondo from the top down about three inches.  I took one of those small nail remover/crowbars and slipped in between the liner and hull then used a hammer to chisel all the way from the front step up to the back. Took about thirty minutes. Faster that a sawsall and less chance of going thru the hull.  Once I had it out I was able to grind off the junk.  Have to admitt I thought I was going to split the hull any second but figured I could fix that if it happened.

[RickK]

My 22-2 liner was put in with bondo from the top down about three inches.  I took one of those small nail remover/crowbars and slipped in between the liner and hull then used a hammer to chisel all the way from the front step up to the back. Took about thirty minutes. Faster that a sawsall and less chance of going thru the hull.  Once I had it out I was able to grind off the junk.  Have to admitt I thought I was going to split the hull any second but figured I could fix that if it happened.

Rick, man has your boat come a long way!!! 8)  I wondered what happened to you and how it was progressing - wow!!! Looking real nice.

[Kaczki]

Any suggestions as to how to pull the inside liner up?    

[Kaczki]

Any guesses about how much it weighs?

[anclotelife]

I was just wondering what you are trying to get by taking the cap off the hull?  I have taken my inner liner off of my old mako. To tell you the truth Im not sure if it was worth it now.  I mean I can get to the wash boards easier but that is the only advantage I have gained in doing so. So again I ask what you plan on getting to?

[anclotelife]

This is how I did it to my mako. I chiseled the edges as my friend lifted it with the forklift.

[Kaczki]

I was wondering if I could take the liner out, replace the plywood under the floor and in the transom, then glass it all back together.  I hope that I don't seem like a total idiot in asking this but I think that doing it would save a lot of glasswork.  So pretty much what I am asking is can the liner be reused after I take it up.

[JimCt]

Most of the work in getting the liner out is unscrewing the liner from the hull.  There are screws every 3" but it is definately do-able.  You'll have to have some way of lifting the liner out without stressing it.